Alek, I
by gymkat.xo
Summary: "Alek was staring at me. Again."    Chalek story, from Chloe's point of view
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first story, I hope you guys like it! I have some ideas for more chapters, so let me know what you think.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Chloe King or any of the other characters. Oh well :(**

* * *

><p>Alek was staring at me. Again.<p>

Every time I turned around, he was suspiciously looking in the other direction, but my Mai senses told me I was right. It was hard not to stare back though. God, history class is soo boring. Instead, I concentrated on **his** breathing, **his** heartbeat. Just him. Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

"Chloe?"

I was pulled from my world of Alek all too soon.

"Hmm?" I asked.

"I asked you a question. What's the answer?" Ugh, Mr. Foreman, my history teacher, was such a pain in my butt.

"Err… Britain?" Crap! I should've said anything but Britain. Screw Alek and his Britishness.

"No, Chloe."

And we went right back to our game of hide and seek.

After school, Amy and I were walking to her car when I heard a very British "Chloe!" from behind. I turned around.

"Training. Tonight at midnight." And he was gone.

I sighed. He was so confusing sometimes. Before, he stared at me for an hour and now he barely acknowledged my existence. I didn't get it.

_Later that night_

As soon as my clock said 12:00, I made sure my mom was asleep and climbed out the window, landing silently on the ground two stories below. It was a cool night, but I only wore shorts and a tank top. Alek and Jasmine were already there, waiting for me.

"Let's go," said Jasmine, and we took off. After arriving on a deserted rooftop downtown, we trained hard for almost two hours. I was exhausted.

Just then, Jasmine's phone rang. After a minute of "yeahs" and "okays" she said, "Valentina needs me back at the house. Alek you're to guard Chloe tonight."

"Alright," Alek agreed. Jasmine left, and we were alone. I had no idea which Alek to

expect, my secret admirer or the stuck up Brit I was so well acquainted with.

"Race you back," Alek challenged.

"You're on," I told him. So this is how it was going to be. Or so I thought.

Alek won in a landslide and when I finally reached my house, he was laying on the rooftop, hands behind his head.

"So," he said, without looking over at me. "You decided to come back?" There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Ha ha very funny, Alek." When I said his name, a chill went up my spine. He must have seen it, because he said, "What, are you cold? Maybe if you put some clothes on then you wouldn't have that problem."

"No, I'm good," I said, thankful he didn't know the real reason for my shiver.

Nevertheless, he sat up, took off his long sleeve shirt and handed it to me. It took every muscle in my body to make myself stop staring at his perfectly chiseled chest and put it on. Mmm, it smelled like cologne and warm and boy. It smelled like Alek.

I was surprised he hadn't told me to go to bed already, since I had the impression that he liked to boss me around. I wasn't one to miss an opportunity, so I carefully sat down next to him, our legs almost touching.

"Your hair looks stunning in the moonlight," he said, and reached over and stroked it gently.

Uhh, what? And awkward cause the moon was almost completely behind a cloud, but I said thanks anyway. I thought about complimenting him back but everything sounded cheesy in my head, so I decided against it.

"Close your eyes," he commanded. "And no peeking."

I obeyed.

I felt his fingertips, light as air, on the back of my hand. After a minute, he gently lifted both my arms above my head and pulled off his long sleeve shirt. I shivered again, but it still wasn't from the cold. He placed my hands down softly and began to dance one finger slowly up my arm. He traced the collar of my tank top, up the back of my neck and around, then drawing along my jawbone from ear to ear. He traced my eyelids, my nose, my cheekbones one at a time. He slowly ran his finger over my lips, which parted under his touch. By this time, his other hand had found its way up my back and now cradled my head from behind. Both hands moved slowly and ever so lightly, and he held my face. I could feel my breathing quickening and my heart was racing, threatening to burst right out of my chest. And then, he kissed me.

It was slow and deep. Even without my empath powers, I could feel everything he was feeling: love, longing, relief, happiness. It was just as good as I had imagined, but better than anything I could've dreamed of.

Without breaking the kiss, he lifted me up and placed me in his lap. Then, he **really** kissed me. His arms were wrapped around me, pulling me in closer, ever though we are already pressed up against each other. My hands were lost in his beautiful, blonde, Brit-boy hair. His bare chest radiated warmth and comfort. I could feel his tongue, tracing my lips, trying to find mine. I sighed, and Alek pulled away. _Too soon_, I thought.

He just looked at me. No, more like gazed.

"Alek, I…" I started, but just then it hit me how tired I was. It had to be at least three in the morning. "I'll tell you tomorrow." I yawned, twice, and then tried to get up but he held me fast.

"Here," he said as he handed me his shirt again. It actually was cold out now and I didn't realize I'd been shivering, for real.

"Thanks," I mumbled sleepily. I never wanted this night to end.


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright guys, here's chapter 2, just in time for the new episode tonight (: Hope you like it just as much as you did the first! Thank you all so much to everyone who reviewed my story. It was much more popular than I ever thought it would be! **

**xo**

* * *

><p>I tried so hard to stay awake. I remember Alek carrying me through the back door, but I don't remember getting to my room. I must have fallen asleep along the way.<p>

I woke up the next morning, still wearing Alek's shirt. At least I knew it hadn't been a dream.

I rolled over. Huh, that's weird. The bed was warm, like I'd been lying there for hours. I looked around my room, and noticed that the window was open about an inch, my curtains blowing in the slight breeze. That's also strange. I definitely closed the window last night.

There was a knock at my door. "Sweetie?" It was my mom. "Oh good, you're awake. I'm going to be leaving in about ten minutes for my business trip. I'll be gone until Tuesday. You'll be okay, right?"

"Yeah Mom, I'll be fine."

"And remember our new rule? About boys in the house?"

"Yes, Mom. I'll be fine! You can go."

"Okay. I love you."

"Love you too. Bye."

"Bye honey. I'll call you tonight."

After she shut the door, I flopped over face first onto my pillow, thinking about last night. Eventually, I heard my mom's car drive away. Not even thirty seconds had passed when I heard my window fly open, followed by, "Good morning, Chloe. Have a good sleep?" British style. Great.

I groaned and rolled over. There was Alek, leaning against my window, looking more god than human, or should I say Mai. He was wearing a simple black v-neck and dark jeans, his hair perfectly tousled.

"You. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home?" I was so not in the mood to deal with him and his never ending sass.

"I spent the night," he said matter-of-factly.

"You… WHAT?" was all I managed to say.

"Well I was tired and I didn't want to run all the way home. So I crashed here. Don't worry. I left before your mom saw me." He didn't even seem fazed by my infuriation at him. In fact, he sat right down next to me.

I thought about it for a minute. At least the window and the bed made sense now. I still couldn't believe what he had done though. But, he was incredibly hard to stay mad at, with his piercing eyes.

"Fine. Whatever. Suit yourself." He smiled, although it was closer to a smirk.

"So," he began. "About last night…" Uh oh, here we go. I soo did not want to have this conversation right now. "What were you going to tell me today?"

I could feel my face turn hot. "Umm, nothing," I stammered. He picked up my hand and began to play with it.

"Oh, c'mon Chloe. We both know it wasn't nothing."

He was right. It wasn't nothing. I was going to tell him that I was glad we had both shown our true feelings for each other, no more playing games. Last night it had seemed like the right thing to say, but now it felt awkward, and kind of irrelevant.

"Really," I said. "It was nothing. Just forget about it, please."

He appeared to study my palm very intensely for about a minute, then said, "Okay. I will. But you have to promise me one thing in return."

"Done," I said. "What is it?"

"You have to stop looking for danger. The Order really wants you dead, and there are other Mai out there who can protect you. Just stay safe, Chloe. Please." His eyes smoldered, pleading with me.

"Okay," I promised. I couldn't resist. Anyway, I never went looking for the assassins. They just seemed to find me. And I always feel guilty, making the others defend me, when I'm the one with eight lives.

"Thanks." He smiled, without a trace of smugness for once.

Phew. I was more than glad that was over. But I still didn't know where our friendship stood, where the barriers lay. I mean, my hand now rested in his, so clearly something had happened. I just didn't know what. So we just sat there, next to each other, my hand in his.

After about five minutes though, I realized I was starving. I got up, threw on a sweatshirt and announced I was going to eat breakfast.

"You want anything?" I asked Alek.

"Sure. What are we having? Eggs and bacon? Waffles and fresh fruit? Pancakes and –" I cut him off.

"Cereal. Or instant oatmeal if you want to get fancy," I teased.

"Mmm, sounds delicious, Chef Chloe. Let's go!" And without any warning at all, he threw me over his shoulder and ran downstairs.

"You put me down this instant!" I demanded, but I was smiling.

Alek put me down on the counter so I hopped off and grabbed the cereal and bowls from the cabinet.

"Bon appetit," I said and began to eat. Alek did too, but he was watching me. It almost was as if he was studying me, memorizing my face.

"What?" I said. "Do I have a huge pimple or something?" Self-consciously, I reached up and felt my nose. Nothing.

"No," Alek laughed. "You're just so… stunning. It's like I can't stop watching you."

And I repeat: uhh, what? Thankfully, I didn't have to come up with a response because his phone buzzed. He opened it and quickly scanned the text message.

"That was from Valentina," he informed me. "I have to go now, but another Mai will be sent to watch you. Also, there's a meeting tonight at eight o'clock. Don't be late. And Chloe?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't forget your promise." His eyes were pleading again.

"I won't."

"Thanks. For everything." And he was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, so last nights episode was really lame. Alek wasn't even in it! Not cool. So I decided to upload what I have written so far, it's kinda short but I hope you like it! And thanks again to everyone who reviewed, I loved the feedback!**

**xo**

* * *

><p>It was quarter of eight and I was getting ready to leave for the meeting. Amy and Paul were on a date, so it looked like I'd be running.<p>

I shut the door behind me and locked it, trying to sense if there was a Mai following me tonight. I didn't think so, so I took off down the street.

I was rounding a corner about halfway to Valentina's when I heard the sounds of fighting. But it wasn't a street fight. It was high speed combat. Mai fighting.

I ran as fast as I possibly could and covered the three blocks to the noises in record time. I stopped outside a large, windowless building. That's where the fighting was. I could still hear them, it sounded like two Mai and three humans, who were probably part of the Order. I looked around but there was no door to enter the building. I circled around back but there still wasn't a door. I would have to try and scale the building next to it and jump from the roof. I was just about to climb when someone came up behind me.

"Don't move," the voice commanded. I turned around but stayed where I was. The owner of the voice was holding a gun, pointed at me. Great. My mind was racing and the first thing that came to my mind was Alek. Alek! Crap, I made him a promise I wouldn't get myself involved in anything dangerous. I'm pretty sure this qualified as dangerous. Ugh, he was going to kill me, if this guy didn't first. I quickly debated the pros and cons of yelling for help, but before I had the chance, none other than Alek himself appeared. His eyes darted from the man to me to the gun and back again as he took in the situation. He gave a quick, exasperated sigh before swiftly knocking the gun to the ground. The man swung at Alek, but he ducked and delivered a blow to the man's stomach. Even doubled over, the guy still put up a fair fight. However, he was no match for Alek, who soon had the man in a headlock. The whole time, I stood frozen with fear, watching it unfold before me.

"Turn around, Chloe," Alek said. I did, knowing what was coming next. I tried very hard to concentrate on the brick wall in front of me, but I could still hear the smooth _shick_ and a dull _thump_, followed by a pained moan.

A moment later, Alek's hand was on my shoulder. I turned to face him, his nose just inches from mine.

"Thanks," I whispered, still a little shaken by the experience.

"Anytime," he replied with a weak smile. "I'll meet you at Valentina's, there's something I have to take care of first."

I still didn't move.

"Chloe, it's okay. You can go now. You're safe," Alek said, but something wasn't right. I looked him straight in the eyes. He looked shaken.

"Alek, what's wrong? Something's not right, so don't try and fool me. Where's…" I stopped. "Jasmine," I whispered, barely audible, even to our super sonic Mai senses.

A single tear slid down Alek's cheek.

"She's… she's not…" Alek choked out.

"Not coming back," I finished quietly. My stomach sank. I felt horrible. Jasmine had died protecting me, when I was the one with eight lives. I was completely devastated, but I could only imagine how sad Alek was.

"Alek, c'mon, we can't stay here. We have to go." The problem was, I had no idea where to go. I doubted he wanted to go home, and we couldn't go to my house because my mom… was still away on her business trip! Perfect.

I gently took his hand in mine, and we ran back to my house.


	4. Chapter 4

**So, apparently a lot of people are upset that I killed off Jasmine. I'm sorry! But I hope this chapter makes up for it, and I'm working on the next one already!**

* * *

><p>I unlocked the front door and led Alek inside, closing the door behind me. It was dark, so I flipped on the living room light on the way in. I sat down on the couch, pulling him down next to me. His expression was vacant, his eyes seeing something much farther away than my coffee table.<p>

After a minute, something occurred to me.

"Alek?" I said softly, "Do we need to tell Valentina about…" I hesitated. "About… what happened?"

He shook his head sadly. "No. She will already know."

I doubted that we were still needed for the meeting, so I didn't bother to ask about it.

We continued to sit in silence, one of his hands gripped tightly in both of mine. I looked at Alek again and saw that he had tears pouring silently down his face. I released his hand and reached up to wipe away the tears. He leaned into me and I held him close, as silent sobs wracked his body. I started to cry too, as I realized for the first time that Jasmine was truly gone.

For hours, we just sat there and cried, comforting each other with our presence.

Eventually, I found my voice and said, "We should get some sleep." Alek just nodded and stood up. He reached out and put his arm around my shoulder. I placed my arm around his waist and led him upstairs to the guest bedroom.

I turned back to covers on the bed. He lay down and I pulled the blanket over him. I kissed him gently on the cheek.

"Goodnight, Alek," I whispered.

"Goodnight, Chloe," he whispered back. "And thanks."

I closed the door behind me as I made my way to my room. I was completely exhausted, so I changed into my pajamas and climbed into bed. I sighed. Today had been a long and sad day. I closed my eyes and just lay there, thinking about all that had happened.

After about ten minutes, I heard my door open. Even though it dark, I knew I was Alek. There was a rush of cool air as he lifted the blanket and climbed in. For once, I didn't protest, and soon fell asleep.

When I opened my eyes, light was streaming through the window. I looked over at Alek, who was still sleeping. He must have held my hand at one point because our fingers were still intertwined. His face was so peaceful, so calm, so vulnerable. He was perfect. His blonde hair was a little messed up, falling into his eyes. The smooth contours of his face were flawless. I had the sudden urge to just lean over and kiss him. At that moment, his eyelids fluttered. He looked around, frowning slightly, but when he saw me he smiled.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," I said, returning his smile. Just then, I had the craziest idea. Like ever. So I leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips.

I don't know what I expected his reaction to be, but it certainly wasn't this.

He reached over and gently pulled me on top of him. His lips were warm and eager on mine. He rolled over onto his side, pulling me with him. He reached his hands down my back and slowly started to pull my shirt over my head. Our lips parted for a moment, and even in those few seconds, I longed to feel his mouth on mine again. But, since I was not about to be the only one to go topless, I quickly slid his shirt over his head. His lips reconnected with mine, and right there, in his arms, I felt so warm, so comfortable, so safe. I never wanted to move.

I felt his hand on the clasp of my purple bra. "Not today," I whispered to him, taking his wrist and moving it away. "Chloe," he moaned into my mouth. I ignored his complaint and just pulled myself closer to him. My fingers became knotted into his hair as we continued to kiss passionately.

I broke away from Alek and rested my head on his chest. He began to run his fingers through my hair.

"Alek?" I whispered softly.

"Yeah, Chloe?" he answered quietly.

"Are you going to be okay? I mean with... what happened?" I was devastated by Jasmine's death, but I needed to make sure Alek was going to be okay before I totally lost it.

"I don't know. I just can't believe she's gone." His eyes were filled with pain and sadness. He sat up and pulled me into his lap, and wrapped his arms tightly around me. It made me feel so safe, like nothing in the world could ever hurt me. "I need you, Chloe. I need you to be there for me. But I know you can't stay away, I'm irresistible." He wriggled his eyebrows at me and smiled. Good old obnoxious Alek.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the cliff-hanger on the last chapter! Hope you guys like this one :)**

* * *

><p>"Alek, I..." I began, but I didn't know how to finish the sentence. "I... I need you too."<p>

The more I thought about it, the more I realized it was true. He was my protector, and he was my friend, even if he did have a bit of an attitude. I couldn't really live without him now. I was relieved that had all been said, but I was worried it might change what we had and I didn't want that. So I just lay there on his bare chest, not saying anything. I knew that knowing that I needed him was something I avoided thinking about on purpose, because it meant admitting to myself that I wanted him, and his ego did not need to get any bigger. But, since he had been the first to confess, I didn't feel as guilty.

Suddenly, he flipped me over onto my back and kissed me softly, but the kiss was still full of emotion; sadness, comfort and longing. And I would never, ever admit this to him, but he lived up to his own expectations.

He pulled away and I opened my eyes. His nose was just centimeters from mine.

"Chloe, you know that Mai fall in love for life, right?" Again with the close talking.

"Mhmm," I said, not quite sure where he was going with this.

"So you know that if I fell in love with you, I would kind of be royally screwed, unless you loved me back?" Oh. So that's where he was going with it.

"Umm, Alek?" This was moving way too fast. A girl could only take so many confessions in one morning. "What are you trying to tell me?"

"Chloe King," he said in a deep throaty whisper. It made me shiver. "I love you." Great. Just great. I mean, yeah Alek was kind of really hot, and he was my protector so we're not exactly strangers, but this was a little intense. I didn't know what to say either, since I wasn't sure if I felt the same way. But at the same time, I didn't want to keep him waiting, or worse, let him down. God, this was so complicated. I also didn't want to leave him hanging at a time like this when he needed me more than ever. So I just said, "I'm not going anywhere," and gave his hand a squeeze. I could tell he knew I was a little unsure, but he didn't say anything.

He leaned over and kissed me gently on the lips one more time before rolling over and sitting up.

"C'mon, sleepyhead time to wake up!"

"No," I groaned and crawled back under the blanket. He whipped the blanket off of me. I was freezing. Even if I did love him, he was still majorly annoying.

"Here," he said, tossing me a sweatshirt, as he put his own shirt back on. Okay, maybe he was only kind of annoying.

He picked me up and slung me over his back piggyback style and carried me down the stairs.

"Alek!" I complained, but he just ignored me.

"Alek put me down!" I wasn't furious, but I was pretty mad. "Right now," I added, in case he didn't get the message. But he just threw me a smug smile and continued walking, with me on his back.

When we arrived downstairs, he put me on the couch and continued into the kitchen. I got up to see what he was doing, but he had already found what he wanted. There were two silver packages in his hand, and he tossed me one. Pop tarts.

"Eat up, King," he said. He seemed proud of himself that he had thought of this idea. His smirk went from ear to ear.

"No thanks," I said. "Breakfast isn't really my thing." I put my pop tart back in the cabinet. Alek's smug look fell a little. I felt bad because it wasn't his fault.

"Race you to Valentina's?" I suggested. I knew he could never turn down anything competitive, and we would have to go over there at some point. Might as well get it over with now.

"You're on," he said, his own pop tart already forgotten.

We took off outside into the early morning sunlight. Since it was the weekend, there weren't many people awake yet, and we just ran right down the sidewalk. A few people may have seen us, but hopefully they didn't. Oh well, too late now.

Alek was much faster then me, so by the time I arrived at the apartment building, completely out of breath, he was already standing there waiting for me.

"Nice of you to show up," he commented. I just rolled my eyes and hit the button for the elevator. No way I was taking the stairs to the 18th floor.

The elevator doors opened and we got in. I was finally able to breathe at a normal rate. Alek looked at me as we rode up, one eyebrow raised.

"What?" I said.

"Chloe, you're still in your pajamas," he told me, trying to contain his laughter. Crap. He was right, I still had on my sweatshirt and flannel pants.

"Oh," was all I said. I really didn't know what I was going to do. I hardly wanted to face Valentina, and likely the rest of the pride, in my pajamas, but I was not about to run home and change, or ask Alek to go back and get my clothes. Whatever. Worse things have happened.

We arrived on the 18th floor, and the elevator doors opened. We got out, and Alek pulled a key out of his pocket to unlock the door to the penthouse.

"Come with me," he said, "I'll get you something to wear." We quickly walked through the living room and kitchen, into his bedroom. He rummaged around in the closet for a second, and emerged holding white gym shorts and a black t-shirt. He handed me the clothes and pointed to a door down the hall.

"The bathroom is through that door, you can change in there."

I walked into the bathroom and shut the door. It was all white; white floor, white walls, white marble countertop and bathtub. I quickly took off my pajamas and put on his shorts and t-shirt. Not exactly my style, but it would work. It wasn't like Valentina's clothes would fit me, and I didn't want to ask him to get me something of Jasmine's, after what had happened. I sighed and walked out of the bathroom, and straight into Alek, who had also changed. I just wrapped my arms around his waist and held on. He seemed a little stunned at first, but he returned the hug.

I lost it. "Jasmine," I sobbed into his chest. "She's… gone." I couldn't hold it in any longer. Alek just pulled me closer and whispered, "Everything is going to be okay, Chloe."

I could feel his silent tears running down his face as we stood there in the hallway, comforting one another in our embrace.


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay so in response to one review I had: my story has no Brian! Just thought you'd want to know :) Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Valentina found us after a few minutes, and led us silently into the living room. Alek and I sat in a chair opposite Valentina on the couch. He had managed to pull himself together but I was sitting in his lap, crying into his shoulder. As he held me close, he rubbed soothing circles on my back with his thumb. Thank god for Alek, I don't know what I'd do without him sometimes. Key word: sometimes.<p>

Finally, Alek broke the silence. "Aunt Val? What will happen now?"

Valentina sighed. "Not much," she said sadly. "Obviously, things will be different around here, but in terms of the Mai and defeating the Order, almost nothing will be different. Our ultimate goal of aiding the Uniter has not changed."

Alek just nodded in understanding. I had finally pulled myself together and I looked up for the first time. Valentina's eyes were red and she looked slightly less put together than she usually did. I felt absolutely horrible. It was her daughter that had died protecting me. I started to cry again, turning my face into Alek's chest.

"Shhh," he said as he stroked my hair. "Chloe, look at me." He put his hand under my chin and tilted my head up slightly. "You're going to be okay," he said as he wiped the tears off my face. "I know you're sad, I'm sad too, but Jasmine wouldn't want you to do this. Chloe."

He looked at me, his eyes smoldering as they pleaded with me. "For Jasmine. For me, please," he begged.

"Okay," I agreed, taking a deep breath. I would give it my best, since it was the very least I could do.

"Thanks," he whispered softly before giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"The rest of the pride will be arriving shortly, to pay their condolences," Valentina announced. "I suggest you two quickly decide where your... relationship... lies before they get here."

Again, Alek nodded and he stood up. I had been sitting on his lap, so he placed me gently on the ground next to him. He took my hand and quietly led me back to his room. Once we got there, all of five seconds later, he sat down on the bed and pulled me down next to him. We weren't touching, besides our hands that were still intertwined.

I knew immediately that this was my conversation. This was when I had to tell him whether or not I loved him back. Oh boy.

"Alek," I said. I couldn't decide if I had made the decision easily or not. It had seemed like there was only one option, but it took me hours to come to a conclusion.

"Alek," I said again, "I love you too." His face broke into a huge smile, although his eyes still hinted at a hidden sadness. That smile became a smug one as he said, "I always knew you did." Asshole. And now he was mine for keeps.

I couldn't help but return his smile as he cradled me and kissed me lightly. The happiness and triumph radiated from him in waves, and I definitely wasn't using my empathy powers. He was ecstatic.

"C'mon," he said, pulling me to my feet. "Let's go meet the pride."

Three hours later, after the last few members of the pride had left, Alek and I sat on the couch in the penthouse living room. I was exhausted. The pride was a lot bigger than I had thought, almost 70 Mai had attended, and as the Uniter I was expected to speak to each and every one of them. Alek hadn't left my side once the entire time and I was grateful for that. I don't think I could've handled that alone.

There was only one problem with our newfound love. I didn't know how he was going to act when he was around people who didn't know we were, well, Mai. Obviously I would introduce him to my mom as my boyfriend, but a part of me was dreading school Monday morning. If he acted anything like he had before, ignoring me completely save a sentence here or there, then I would definitely regret telling him I loved him. I didn't want to say anything to him though, because if I did then I felt like I was cheating him of a chance to prove himself. So I would just have to wait and see.


	7. Chapter 7

I ended up spending the rest of the day at the penthouse since it didn't make much sense for me to go home; no one was there. We didn't do much, just a lot of sitting around and staring at the wall. Everyone was a little overwhelmed with emotions right now, including me. Not many words were said during the remainder of the day. There wasn't anything to say. Finally, after dinner, I broke the long silence.

"Well," I said, "I should probably be heading home soon." I looked at Alek, thinking that he might offer me a ride, or at least walk me home. Nope.

"Chloe," he said slowly. "Would you want to spend the night here? We both have school in the morning anyway and guard duty would be much easier if you stayed."

My mom wasn't due to return for another 48 hours so that wasn't an issue. Valentina didn't object, so I wouldn't have to worry about that either. My only question was where would I sleep? Jasmine's room was definitely off limits, there didn't look like there was a guest bedroom, and I wasn't going to make Alek stay on the couch. I doubted he would make me stay there either. So that only left...

"Umm sure I'll stay." I couldn't believe I was saying this. "But I have to go home and get my stuff." I was still wearing his clothes, and there's no way I'm going to school tomorrow dressed like this.

"No problem," Alek said, looking pleased. "Let's go right now. C'mon."

We made our way to the rooftop, and traveled back to my house that way. When we got there I quickly threw some clothes into a bag and grabbed my backpack and books too.

"Alright," I said. "I'm ready to go."

"Okay," Alek said, and walked out the door. I followed him to my roof and we took off running again. When we got back to the penthouse, Valentina opened the door and let us inside.

"You can leave your stuff in Alek's room," she told me, pointing to her left. "It's right through there." Even though I had already been there once this morning, I followed Alek again into his room. I dropped my stuff by the door and collapsed next to him on his bed sideways. I was exhausted and we just lay there, side by side. He yawned uncharacteristically, which made me yawn too. It was only 7 o'clock but I'm pretty sure we both fell asleep in the next 10 minutes.

I woke up at 5 am in a complete panic, unsure of where I was for a moment. My eyes adjusted to the darkness after a few seconds. Oh. I was in Alek's room. Right. He was still sound asleep next to me, but we were now facing the right direction, and underneath the sheets. Huh.

Alek rolled over and mumbled something into his pillow that wasn't quite coherent. Whatever. But then he said it again, louder. Did I hear him right?

"Chloe," he moaned, clearly this time. Yep, I heard him alright. I wondered... was he actually asleep? Or was he trying to mess with me? I decided it was too early in the morning, so it had to be the first option. Just in case, I whispered,

"Alek?" No response. He's asleep, I decided for sure. Suddenly, there was a huge earsplitting crash. The walls of the penthouse shook. It was so loud that the entire town must have woken up.

"Alek?" I said again, loudly this time.

"Wh- what is it? Who's there?" Alek sat up and looked around, his claws retracting.

"Alek!" I whispered, "It's just me, Chloe. Remember? I spent the night. There was a giant crash outside the apartment, that's what woke you up."

"Oh," he said, his claws detracting. I think he was still half asleep.

"Stay here," he commanded, getting up. Of course, I didn't listen so I got up and followed him into the living room. Valentina was just emerging from her own room too.

"Both of you wait here. I'm going to find out what the noise is." She walked quickly over to the door of the apartment and was gone.

Alek looked at me.

"I thought I told you to stay in my room," he said, frowning.

"You did." I, however, was not about to be the one left behind. I knew Alek badly wanted to follow Valentina and investigate the source of all the noise but he would never disobey direct orders. But I also knew that he would follow me wherever I went so I brushed past him and into the hallway.

"Chloe, wait!" He quickly caught up to me and put a hand firmly on my shoulder.

"C'mon, Alek," I said, batting my eyelashes like an idiot. "Can't we have a little fun? I want to find out what's going on." I grabbed his hand and tugged on it. Reluctantly, he came along. When we arrived at the elevator, a fireman was standing in front of it. The door was open but there was no elevator, it was an empty shaft.

"Okay new plan," I joked. "Let's take the stairs."

He sighed but took the lead, and we started the long trek to the ground floor.

Once we got to the lobby, Alek immediately sought out Valentina.

"What's going on?" he asked worriedly. There were other people milling about, so it didn't seem like anything too bad.

"The elevator fell," Valentina told us. "It was only on the second floor and it was empty. No one was injured."

Alek looked relieved. "Good, we can go back to sleep now. C'mon Chloe, let's go."

"Okay," I sighed, "But only if you carry me back upstairs." I smiled evilly.

"But- but that's 18 floors!" Alek protested.

I shrugged. I was tired; now that I knew there was no danger my adrenaline rush had worn off and I certainly did not want to walk the 18 flights of stairs back up.

"Okay but the rules are you can't put me down!" There was no way I was going to let him cheat.

"Fine," Alek huffed, and picked me up, carrying me bridal-style. I clasped my hands around his neck and rested my head on his shoulder. He made me feel so safe and secure when he held me. It probably had something to do with his muscular physique, and how he held me close.

There were two sets of stairs in the apartment building, the main stairs and the back stairs. Alek headed for the back stairs, probably because it put us closer to 1803 once we got up there. There wasn't anyone else in the entire stairwell besides us.

I started to count the floors as Alek carried me up the stairs.

1... 2... 3... 4... 5...

My eyes started to drift closed.

6... 7... 8...

I didn't want to go to school in the morning. I just wanted to sleep. We had to get up in less than two hours. I groaned internally.

9...

10...

11...

After a moment, I realized that Alek had stopped walking and was now leaning against the wall on the 11th floor landing. I opened my eyes, confused.

"Wh-" I started to ask, but Alek interrupted me.

"Shh," he said. Placing my feet carefully on the ground, he cupped my face gently in his hands, and kissed me tenderly. In response, I tangled my fingers in his hair and leaned into him.

After several too-short minutes, he pulled away.

"You cheated," I accused him, smiling. I poked his chest. "You put me down."

"I'm sorry." He didn't look very sorry, but he picked me up again and continued up the stairs.

I wasn't sleepy at the moment, although I could feel the tiredness creeping up on me, so I contented myself with drawing circles on Alek's collarbone with my index finger. I traced them lightly, first through his shirt, then reaching underneath his t-shirt to draw on his bare skin. I felt him shudder slightly.

"What?" I asked, feigning innocence. "Am I bothering you?"

"No," he breathed. He just looked at me with this look in his eyes that took me a minute to place. It was love, caring. His face rarely displayed any emotion besides smugness or cockiness.

My finger stopped moving, and I just rested my hand on his chest. He began to rub his thumb back and forth between my shoulder blades. I reached up to give him one more kiss on the lips before I gave into my returning exhaustion and drifted asleep in Alek's arms.

I vaguely remember returning to the condo, but I was acutely aware of the fact that Alek never let go of me once, not even after we reached his room.

When I woke up an hour or so later, his arms were still wrapped securely around my middle.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so I know in the last chapter, I said Chloe was waiting to see how Alek would behave at school in front of other people. But I couldn't decide! So please review and tell me what you think!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Sooo sorry for the long wait, so here's two chapters. Hope you like them!**

* * *

><p>The morning passed in a blur, and before I knew it we were making our way down the stairs to Alek's car. I followed him through the parking garage until he stopped in front of a blue Jeep, dropping his books on the hood of the car.<p>

"Here we are, Miss King," he said, opening the passenger door.

"What, no fancy sports car?" I teased.

"Nope," he said, wearing an expression of mock sadness. "This was all I can afford. I am a teenager after all." The familiar smirk returned, and he motioned for me to get in. I complied, putting my bag by my feet.

Alek grabbed his books and got in the car, tossing them in the back as he did. He started the car and pulled out of the garage.

We arrived in the school parking lot with five minutes to spare. A few people had noticed me in Alek's car and gave questioning looks. Oh boy, I thought, this is going to be one fun day. Not.

"You ready?" Alek asked.

"As I'll ever be," I said calmly, trying not to panic before we even left the car. I slung my bag over one shoulder and opened the door. Alek had already gotten out and made his way around the car to me. He took my hand and pulled me to him, giving me a kiss on the cheek. He let go of my hand, except for my pinkie, which he kept linked with his. As we walked, I could already hear people talking.

"Alek and Chloe?" Their tone was one of disbelief.

"She doesn't deserve him." Just a hint of jealousy.

"I heard he lost a bet." They pitied me.

"He's using her for sex." Bitch.

Supersonic hearing was so not my favorite thing in the world right now. But then, I heard it. Just a whisper at first, it got louder by the second.

"Jasmine."

Here, there, and everywhere. I didn't even want to know what they were saying. She had seemed all but invisible, but now that she was dead it was all anyone could talk about. Of course. Valentina had to have told the school something, but I had never asked what the 'official' cause of death was going to be. I looked at Alek questioningly, hoping he would understand my confusion. He did.

"Car crash. Down in Los Angeles. Over the weekend." I nodded, and we continued down the hallway.

Pulling him over to the side of the hallway where my locker was, I spun the combination quickly and changed out the books in my bag for the ones I needed for my first two classes.

"Everything is going to be okay," he whispered into my ear. And then he was gone, off to class. I sighed, and headed to my own class.

After school, I met Alek by his car. As soon as he saw me he got in, then reached over and opened the door for me. I was completely drained. I'd had to answer a ton of questions, many of them the same, about Alek and Jasmine. Amy and Paul had been especially bad, although I kind of owed it to them since I'd been blowing them off so much recently. I closed my eyes and just rested, not even caring if Alek took me home or back to his house.

"Chloe?" he asked cautiously. He had been oddly quiet this afternoon.

"What's up?" I tried to keep my voice casual, even though it was killing me trying to figure out what was on his mind.

"I want..." he hesitated. "I want to avenge Jasmine's death."

No, no, no! He couldn't! He'd be killed! I mean I wanted Jasmine's death to be avenged too, but let someone else do it. I know that's so selfish of me to think that, but I couldn't lose both my protectors in one week.

"Alek," I said firmly, looking straight at him. "You can't. You'll be killed! Alek, please. Don't do it."

"Chloe I have to." His face was serious.

"Fine," I said. "Then I only have one objection. Let me come with you." No way was I going to let him go by himself.

"No, Chloe. I can't let you do that." Obviously, his mind was made up, but that didn't mean I couldn't change it. By now, we were back at the apartment building, and we argued all the way up to the condo.

Alek unlocked the door, but when we saw Valentina sitting on the couch he stopped mid-sentence.

"Hi Aunt Val," he said innocently. By the look on Valentina's face, she knew exactly what we had been arguing about.

"Alek, you will not go alone," she stated. The look of horror on Alek's face was priceless.

"But-" His protests were cut short by Valentina.

"Chloe, you will not go with him. It's too dangerous for the Uniter to be at large like that. Another Mai will be sent to assist Alek. I wish you would not risk your life like this but I know it is something you must do. Act wisely." And with that, she left.

I smiled smugly at Alek in triumph, but I couldn't ignore the fear that was creeping up on me. I didn't want to lose Alek too. My smile faltered.

"Alek, I don't want you to do this. What if you get hurt? Or worse, what if you get killed?" I couldn't let him go. I couldn't.

He reached for my hand, but I pulled it away.

"Chloe, it's something I have to do. And you heard Valentina, she's not letting me go alone." He reached for my hand again, and this time I didn't retreat. "Now it's _my_ turn to make _you_ a promise. I promise to return to you, safe and sound, without so much as a scratch."

"Promise?" I asked.

"Promise," he said, kissing me delicately on the lips to seal the deal.


	9. Chapter 9

An hour later, Alek and another Mai had left in pursuit of Jasmine's killer. I headed back to my house in an attempt to get some of my homework done, but the only thing I had accomplished was sitting in the living room, a nervous wreck. I called Amy, but when it went to voicemail, I remembered that her and Paul were at the movies. Ugh, so not helpful right now.

Hours later, I was still a mess but I had migrated to the kitchen. Even though I knew that Alek could potentially be gone for up to a day, every second that passed made me worry even more.

It was pitch black outside, and I was frantic. I quickly decided that if he wasn't back in 10 minutes I would go and find him myself. I sat and watched the clock. After eight minutes however, I heard a car drive up, followed by a door slam and footsteps.

"DAMMIT!" Alek stomped into the house, slamming the front door behind him. I walked up to him, and he didn't say anything more, so I kissed him long and hard, throwing my arms around his neck. I could taste his tension and anger, and I let all of my pain and relief pour out.

All of a sudden, he slammed me up against the wall, kissing me even harder, forcing his tongue into my mouth. He had me trapped, so I just kissed him back. It wasn't like I minded.

I released my arms from his neck and put my hands on his waist. Then I slid them under his shirt and up his bare back, holding onto his extremely muscular shoulders. He had my face held in both of his hands, keeping me there. The kiss was fierce and fiery, rougher than before.

When he finally pulled away, I gave him a once-over, knowing he had just come from a fight. There were a few scratches on his face, but his shirtsleeve had a large tear in it, and his arm had a gash that was actually kind of bleeding a lot. Don't know how I missed that before.

"Alek," I gasped. "Your arm! What happened?"

He just shook his head. "I don't know. One minute we were winning, we had him, and the next..." he trailed off. "There was suddenly way more Order members than the two of us could handle." I could hear the pure frustration in his British accent. Alek wasn't a coward; he wasn't one to back out of a fight. But he'd had to, to save himself and the other Mai fighter. I could tell he was unhappy with himself. To be honest, I was just glad that he came home safely.

"C'mon, let's get you cleaned up," I said. The first aid kit was in the bathroom upstairs, so I put my hands on his hips and gently steered him towards the staircase.

Once we got to the bathroom, I told him to sit on the edge of the bathtub while I got the first aid kit out of the closet. When I turned back around, first aid kit in hand, I looked at him again. He was leaning against the wall and his eyes were closed. He looked absolutely exhausted.

I started by cutting his sleeve off at the shoulder, since the shirt was already ruined. I slid it off very carefully, but Alek winced more than once.

"Let me know if the pain gets to be too much," I said. I hated hurting him but I couldn't let his cut go untreated. He just put on a brave face and nodded.

I looked more closely at his wound this time. It was deeper then I expected, and probably needed stitches. Since I couldn't take him to the hospital, I decided that I would bandage it up myself and tomorrow before school I would take him to Valentina, who was going to be away until much later tonight. I quickly texted her, to tell her that Alek was safe and unharmed, save for his injured arm. Her reply was short and to the point. _Thank you._

I cleaned the wound out as gently as I could, although I think it hurt Alek a lot more than he was letting on. I could see it in his eyes, and he hissed in pain several times.

"I'm so sorry," I said every time he grimaced. "I'm almost done, I promise." I tried to reassure him, but I wasn't fooling anyone. The gash was deep, and long too; it wrapped almost halfway around his upper arm. By the time I was done cleaning it, almost fifteen minutes had passed.

"Okay," I said, reaching back into the first aid box. "I'm just going to apply some disinfectant. It might sting a little." I could see him brace himself for what was to come. His knuckles were white as he gripped the edge of the bathtub, and his jaw was tight.

I quickly applied a small amount of the disinfectant over the whole cut. The second the ointment touched his skin his whole body tensed.

"Alek? Are you ok?" I asked warily, even though I already knew the answer was no.

He just nodded stiffly. Oh god, I hated seeing him like this.

I took some gauze out of the box and bandaged his cut, taping it in place.

"Ok-" I started, but Alek interrupted me with a kiss. His hand pressed into the small of my back, pulling me closer. We continued to kiss for several minutes, until Alek pulled away.

"Thank you," he whispered into my hair. "For everything. Thank you."

"You're welcome," I replied. I buried my face in his chest and hugged him tightly, relishing the feel of his body next to mine. I was so glad he came back safely.

Alek offered to clean up the first aid supplies in the bathroom while I changed into my pajamas. After I finished changing, I threw my hair up in a messy bun and went to check on Alek. He had just finished cleaning up.

"Tired?" I asked.

"More like exhausted," he said, the familiar smirk returning.

I smiled, unable to help myself. Good to know his personality went uninjured.

"Come on, love. Let's get some sleep."

Love? That's the first time he's called me that! My insides were doing flips, but on the outside I played it very nonchalant.

"Alright," I agreed. This time it was Alek's turn to steer me in the right direction, in this case it was into my room. We both climbed into bed, and I flicked off the light. He was out cold in about 30 seconds, but I just lay there and watched his sleeping form. His face was so relaxed, and free of pain. It hit me, at this moment, how much I really did love him. It had killed me earlier to see him in pain, and now that he wasn't, I was relieved. If I'd had any regrets about telling him I loved him before, they were gone now.

"I love you, Alek," I whispered, caressing his cheek. I kissed him lightly on the forehead before curling into his chest and falling asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Heres chapter 10! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>When I woke up, it was still dark outside. I rolled over to check on Alek, but he wasn't there. Sitting up, I looked around and noticed that the hall light was on. Just then, I heard him grunt in pain. No!<p>

I sprinted out of bed and down the hall to the bathroom, where he was bracing himself against the sink, his eyes screwed shut in a painful grimace. The bloody bandages from earlier were strewn across the floor, and the wound was bleeding profusely.

"Alek!" I gasped.

"Chloe?" He looked up and relief momentarily washed over his face, masking the pain.

"Oh my god, what happened?" I was shocked at how bad his arm looked. I thought I had done a fairly good job at cleaning it up, but it still looked fresh.

"I don't know," he said through his teeth. "It was fine last night but when I woke up it was bleeding all over the place. And it hurts like hell."

"Ok," I said, trying to think. "We need to get you to Valentina. What time is it?" I checked my phone: 4 am. "Good, she should be back by now." Hmmm. Now all I needed to do was to stop his bleeding long enough for me to get him to Valentina. But Alek was one step ahead of me. He had carefully removed his shirt one handed, and was using it to staunch the blood.

"You know, we have towels here," I said disapprovingly.

He just shrugged. "It was ruined anyway."

His face looked drained, as if he was fighting to keep the pain away.

"Let's go," I said. "Right now." I made sure he was following me before I headed out the front door and towards his car. When he went to get in the drivers seat, I stopped him.

"No way. Hand over the keys." My voice was firm, although I was definitely not feeling confident. I only had my permit, and I had only driven a handful of times and never in the dark. There was absolutely no way I was letting Alek drive though. I held out my hand.

He reluctantly gave me the keys and I started the car. As I pulled out of the driveway, I hoped for two things. One, that I would get Alek to Valentina conscious and in time, and two, that I wouldn't crash the car. Oh please, don't let me crash the car.

We arrived safely in the parking garage, with no accidents along the way. Alek, however, was starting to look even worse. His face was pale, and his eyes were tight with pain. I quickly got out of the car and practically ran to the other side, opening Alek's door.

"Do you think you can make it to the elevator?" I was starting to really worry about him now. He just nodded in response.

The shirt that he held on his arm was completely soaked through with blood. We needed to hurry. I put one arm around his waist for support, and walked as fast as I dared, while never taking my eyes off him. We made it to the elevator, but he looked like he was about to pass out. He leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, breathing in and out slowly. When the doors finally opened to the 18th floor, I called out Valentina's name, knowing she would hear me.

Meanwhile, I did my best to get Alek to the apartment. He was leaning heavily on me and I was concerned that he wouldn't make it to the door. We did, and thankfully, Valentina chose that moment to appear.

Alek sat on the couch, his eyes closed and his face almost white. Valentina's face showed no emotion as she examined his wound and immediately began to clean it. I sat down on the other side of Alek, holding his hand tightly. I was beginning to wonder how he could be so silent when I realized that he had passed out.

I continued to hold his hand for the next twenty minutes, until Valentina had finished.

"Is he going to be okay?" I asked her.

"The knife used to give him that wound was cursed. It is meant to inflict immense pain upon the victim. They are very rare, only four are known to exist in the entire world. The wound it causes is also slow to heal," she told me. "He'll be fine but I will excuse you both from school today, if you wish."

"Actually, I'd rather go to school today, but thanks," I said. Actually, I'd rather not go to school, especially not without Alek, but my mom was coming home sometime today, and I couldn't let things look too suspicious. She already suspected that I was up to something. I could deal with one day. Plus, I still had Amy and Paul there for me.

Just then, Alek's eyes fluttered open. He still looked like he was in some pain, but I could tell it wasn't nearly as bad as before.

"Before you say anything," I said quietly, and leaned over and kissed him. I brushed his hair away from his face with my fingers. He seemed a little surprised at first, but soon he began to kiss me back, slipping his tongue inside my mouth.

After a minute I pulled away, resting my forehead on his, our noses touching.

"Feeling better?" I asked him.

"Loads," he whispered, "And thanks. Again." He smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay let me just say THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU to everyone who has reviewed so far! You make me smile :)<br>Special thanks also to pipsqueak66, who gave me an idea to continue the story with! I didn't even know I had writers block until she helped me out of it :P**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hope you like it!**

* * *

><p>That day at school dragged on forever. I thought it would never end. After what seemed like ages, it was finally lunchtime, so at least I was able to talk to Amy and tell her about everything that had happened. Paul was there too but he just kept asking more questions about my quote unquote superpowers, so we ignored him. Finally my last two classes were over, and I got a ride home with Amy.<p>

"Thanks!" I called over my shoulder as I walked up the driveway. My mom was already home from her trip, her car was parked in the driveway and I could hear her making noise in the kitchen.

"Hey mom," I said as I opened the front door. "I'm home from school."

"Hey Chlo." She sounded skeptical. Like really skeptical. Crap! What'd I do this time?

"So how was your trip, Mom?" I asked, trying to avoid the confrontation I knew was coming.

"Maybe the better question would be 'how was your stay, Chloe?' And just what the hell did you do?" That would be a no-go on the avoiding. Double crap.

"Umm..." I said, my mind racing to come up with a believable lie that I hadn't already used. I came up short.

"And," my mom continued, " While you're at it, maybe you can explain to me why it looks like someone died in the upstairs bathroom? There's blood and bandages everywhere!"

I groaned internally. I had forgotten to clean up this morning in my panic to help Alek. And now my mom was giving me _that_ look, which was so not helping.

I took a deep breath. And then I told my mom everything. That I was Mai, that I had changed the second I turned sixteen, that I was the Uniter and Alek and Jasmine were my protectors and trainers, that the Order was out to get us (although I left out how many close encounters we have with them on a seemingly daily basis. But I did explain what happened last night with Alek getting hurt and all, because of the mess I left), that I had to Unite the Mai and the humans, that I couldn't kiss a human, that it was my fault Xavier was dead, that Alek is my boyfriend, and quickly, that Mai fall in love forever, although I don't know if she quite heard me, I said it really fast. I don't think she believed me either, until I showed her my claws. By the time I was done explaining everything, it was dinnertime and I was starving.

My mom was speechless. She just pulled me into a warm embrace and stroked my hair.

"Oh honey," she said finally. "You should have told me! Now it all makes sense, you've been acting different since your sixteenth birthday but I get it now. It must have been so hard for you to go through this all alone! Oh I am so sorry you didn't think you could tell me." She was starting to freak out now, but in a good, mom sort of way.

"Mom," I said reassuringly. "It's okay. You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm just glad you know now."

"Okay," she agreed, a little unwillingly. "I'm so hungry. What should we eat? I'm thinking Chinese?"

"Yeah, that sounds perfect! I'm starved."

The next morning I woke up at 6:14, exactly one minute before my alarm went off. I reached over and blindly hit my clock, stopping the noise before it started. I could hear that my mom was in the kitchen eating breakfast, but I knew she'd be leaving soon so if I wanted to ask her I had to get up now. I reluctantly rolled out of bed and plodded down the stairs, using one hand to brush my hair out of my face as I went.

"Morning, Chloe," my mom greeted me cheerily. Despite what Alek told me, it didn't seem as if much had changed between us.

"Hey mom. I was, uh, I was wondering if I could, um..." I stalled for a second, but then I remembered last night, so I continued without further hesitation. "I was wondering if I could skip school today, and go check on Alek. If that's okay with you."

"Sure honey. Just text me when you get there, and if you're gonna stay. And let's not make a habit out of skipping school okay?" She smiled and I laughed.

"Kay, mom. I won't. I'm going to take a quick shower, love you, you're the best!" I yelled as I started to run upstairs.

"Implied!" she said back.

I arrived on the 18th floor half an hour later, and I knocked on the door of 1803. Valentina answered it and let me in.

"He's in his room," was all she said before she retreated to what I assumed was her office.

I made my way into the condo and towards Alek's room. The door was open ajar but I knocked softly. There was no response, and by the sound of his heartbeat and his slow, even breathing, he was asleep. I carefully pushed the door open.

He was lying on his back, spread eagle and completely dead to the world. I grinned; he was adorable.

I walked over to his bed and sat down next to him. I had to lean against the headboard and bend my knees with my legs over his arm so I didn't disturb him while he slept. I debated waking him up several times, but he looked tired so I let him sleep.

Finally, he opened his eyes.

"Chloe?" he said, looking at me. He was so confused.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm so sorry about the way I ended it, there just wasn't really a good place to cut it off without making a five word chapter or a million word chapter. Nothing dramatic happens, and the next chapter will start right where this one ended. And I'll update soon I promise!<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**I was going to wait a little longer to upload this chapter, but I'm so mad that Chloe King was cancelled and I'm uploading it early. Ugh. I'm so mad at ABC Family right now. This is so not okay. UGH. **

**Well, enjoy. :P**

* * *

><p><em>"Chloe?" he said, looking at me. He was so confused.<em>

"Good morning," I said. "How's your arm feeling?"

"It's... uhh... it's good," he stuttered. The look on his face was one of understanding, as he began to remember yesterday's awful events.

"Okay. And how's your arm really?" I asked. I could tell he wasn't telling the complete truth. I believed him that compared to yesterday, his arm was great, but there's no way he wasn't in any pain.

"It hurts. A lot," he admitted.

"I thought so," I said. He just smirked. Leaning over, I gave him a chaste kiss. "Are you hungry?" I asked. "I'll make you some breakfast. Or at least get you some cereal." I wasn't much of a cook, as he would know from our previous breakfast encounter.

"Yeah I am. But I can get it myself, Chloe. Thanks though." He used his good arm to push himself into a sitting position, then swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up stiffly.

"No, really," I told him. "Let me get it. I don't mind."

I ran ahead of him into the kitchen and started to scour the cabinets for what I needed. Eventually, I found a bowl, a spoon and cereal. I got the milk out of the fridge and set it all on the table.

Alek walked slowly into the kitchen, and sat down in front of the breakfast I had laid out. His movements were slow and stiff, but sure.

"Sore?" I asked him.

"Extremely." He looked tense, keyed up.

"Relax," I whispered into his ear. "Nothing's going to happen, I swear. You need to take a minute and just let it all out. Don't worry about a thing."

I stood behind him as he ate in silence, massaging his shoulders gently. I could tell he didn't listen to what I told him because he stayed on edge the whole time. When he was finished I offered to clean up and he tried to do it himself, but I didn't let him.

"Chloe, c'mon let me help you. I'm not completely useless you know. Let me do something." His voice was frustrated and full of hurt.

"Alek, I know you're not useless. Can't I just be nice once in a while?" Now I was upset because I had no idea where his outburst was coming from.

"Sure, but you don't have to baby me," he accused.

"Alek," I stressed each syllable of his name as I said it. "I'm not babying you. It's called comforting, and being helpful."

"Well then how come you won't let me do anything! I'm a big boy, Chloe. I can take care of myself perfectly fine. I don't need you to do everything for me," he spat out angrily.

His words hurt me, they cut me right to the core. I could feel the tears in my eyes, threatening to spill over. I blinked them back, but it was no use. I was devastated. He had said he _didn't need me_. Isn't what we decided we needed most is each other?

"Fine. The only reason I'm doing this anyway is because I care about you, and I _thought_ that you cared about me too. But if that's not true, then I'll stop." I choked back a sob and ran out of the room before I completely lost it.

I ended up back in Alek's room, so I closed the door and flung myself on the bed. Huge sobs wracked my body. I could not believe this was happening. I thought we cared about each other, needed each other, even loved each other? This was a huge mess and I didn't know how I would ever get out of it. Alek was mad at me and I wasn't even sure what I did wrong. I would gladly apologize, but I didn't know what to even apologize for!

I could hear his heartbeat. Steady, as if nothing had even happened. My own heart was racing at a million miles an hour as I panicked, trying to fix this… this disaster. He was still sitting at the table, right where I left him. He wasn't even going to come and find me. Another round of sobs shook me from head to toe. If I kept this up, I was going to have a headache in no time.

Sitting up, I took a deep breath. I closed my eyes and concentrated on just breathing in and out. I needed to calm myself down before this got out of hand. _Too late_, the cryptic little voice in my head said. The tears began streaming down my face again. I was completely wrapped up in my own world of nightmares and disasters. That's why I didn't hear the quiet knock on my door, so when I opened my eyes and saw Alek standing there I jumped about a foot.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, more venom in my voice than was necessary.

"Chloe, I'm not here to fight," he said, holding his hands up in surrender.

* * *

><p><strong>Dun dun dun! Will they forgive each other? Or not? <strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**Okay so I promised myself that I wasn't going to be the author who stopped writing halfway through a story…and that didn't work out too well. :P I really want to continue writing this story, but I need to know there are people who are going to read it first. So if you would like me to continue, please review and let me know! ***UPDATE*** okay so in the past 24 hours I've had a ton of people who would like me to continue this story. And so I will! Hopefully I can have the next chapter up by Monday :) **


	14. Chapter 14

**Here it is. Enjoy :)**

* * *

><p><em>"Chloe, I'm not here to fight," he said, holding his hands up in surrender.<em>

I was still sitting on the bed, hugging my knees to my chest. Alek was standing in the doorway, and he looked unsure if he should stay there or move closer to me. After a moment, he made his way over to the bed and sat down, leaving an obvious gap between us. I buried my face in my hands, a weak attempt at ignoring him.

"Chloe, we need to talk about this," he said softly, making me look up. I wasn't even mad at him, I was just mad that I had made such a big deal over something stupid and it had come between us. I could never be mad at him.

"Alek, I don't want to argue with you. I-"

"No, Chloe, let me say something first. I was wrong to be mad at you for just trying to be helpful and nurturing to me. At first, I thought that you saw me as weak and helpless but I can tell now that I was wrong. I'm sorry. Please forgive me." His warm brown eyes were large and pleading.

I smiled at him. "Alek, I'm not mad at you."

"What?" he said, with a puzzled expression on his face.

I laughed and scooted closer to him. "I'm not mad at you," I repeated. "It's not a huge deal. I didn't need to freak out like that."

He looked surprised. "Well okay then," he said happily, pulling me into his lap. I snuggled into his chest, content with our resolve. He held me close, resting his chin on the top of my head. Suddenly, he grabbed my face between his hands and kissed me, long and hard. He broke away leaving me breathless, but didn't move his face away from mine.

"I love you, Chloe," he said huskily.

"I love you, too," I whispered back.

Alek kissed me again, slowly this time. When he finally broke away, he looked at me for a moment before asking me, "So what do you want do today? Seeing as we don't have to go to school and all." He grinned mischievously, wriggling his eyebrows.

"I don't know," I said. "What should we do?"

"Well I was thinking we could have a movie day. Very low key, you know." He looked at me for approval.

"Ohh! Yes!" I said excitedly. And with that, Alek stood up, still holding me, and walked into the living room, and plopped down on the couch.

I let Alek choose the movie, and I snuggled up next to him, resting my head on his shoulder. I tried to stay awake and watch the movie, but honestly I don't even remember what movie it was. Last night I had slept horribly because I was so worried about Alek, and I was asleep within minutes. The last thing I remember before drifting off is Alek's arm wrapped around me, pulling me closer as slipped into unconsciousness.

_I woke up a few hours later, with Alek's arm still around me. But something wasn't right. I looked over at him. He looked asleep, but his body was cold and he wasn't breathing. _

_"Alek?" I said. "Alek? No no no. Alek c'mon say something!" My brain started to go into overdrive as I tried to figure out what to do. _

_"Valentina!" I yelled. No response. I bolted for the door I had seen her disappear behind earlier, hoping and praying there was a logical explanation for why she wasn't responding. _

_The door opened up into a large, mahogany-furnished room, the walls lined with books. In the center of the room was a large desk. Valentina was slumped over in her chair. From where I was standing I could already tell that she wasn't breathing either. Panicking, I ran out, out of the apartment and onto the street, sprinting all the way home. _

_"MOM!" I was yelling my head off before I even got to the house. _

_I was frantic as I threw the door open and looked around. The silence was eerie. I ran upstairs to my mom's room, fumbling with the doorknob in my hurry to get it open. She was lying face down on the bed, unmoving. _

"_Mom?" My voice was barely audible between my heavy breathing and the tears streaming down my face. _

"_Mom," I said louder, trying to keep my voice steady. No, this couldn't be happening! I didn't even know what _was _happening, really. _

"_Chloe." I looked up. I couldn't tell who the voice belonged to or where they were, other than far away. _

"_Chloe!" There it was again, louder this time. It sounded like it was coming from all directions at once, enveloping me, suffocating me. _

"_CHLOE!" _

I bolted awake, and was staring straight into a pair of dark brown eyes.

* * *

><p><em><em>**Sorry if you thought this was a new chapter! There was just one detail I had to fix. Alek doesn't have blue eyes. Whoops. But I'm writing a new chapter right now I promise!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Here's the chapter I promised! **

**Also, I think this is going to be pretty much the end of the story. I'll write an epilogue but I think this is it. I have another story in the works though so make sure you check it out (when I get around to posting it haha).**

* * *

><p>"Alek!" My whole body relaxed, I was flooded with relief. I pulled him to me in a rib-crushing hug and wrapped my legs around his waist. I was never letting go.<p>

"Chloe, what on earth…?" he said, bewildered.

I just buried my face into his shoulder and hugged him tighter.

"Are you ok?" He sounded worried. "You were mumbling in your sleep, and then your heart rate started speeding up like crazy, so I tried to wake you up, and this is what I get."

"I just had a bad dream," I whispered.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" he asked gently, rubbing my back in soothing circles.

I unlatched my arms from around Alek's shoulders and moved to sit in his lap, facing him. "Well," I started, "I woke up on the couch here, but you were…you were dead." I could feel the lump rising in my throat, the tears filling my eyes. "I ran to find Valentina, but she was dead too."

I took a shaky breath.

"Oh, Chloe," Alek said softly. "Is that all?"

I shook my head. "Then I ran home to find my mom, but she was dead. And I could hear the Order…they were everywhere, I could hear them but I couldn't see them and I didn't know what to do."

Tears were flowing freely down my face, and Alek reached up and wiped one away with his thumb.

"Chloe, I'm so sorry. You know that it's not real, and that's what is important. You're safe, we all are." His voice sounded so strong, so sure, and I wanted to believe him so badly. And maybe he was right, we were all safe. For now. But what about tomorrow? Next week? Next year? The Order was still out there, and they wanted me dead. Forever. I didn't want to do this. I couldn't.

"Alek, I don't want to be the Uniter. I can't do it." My voice broke on the last word, and I leaned into his chest, crying. I just couldn't do this. It was too much pressure for something I knew so little about.

"Look at me, Chloe," he said, taking my face in his hands. "I know it seems like an impossible task, but there are people and Mai out there who need your help. You are a smart, strong, beautiful girl. There is no reason for you to doubt yourself. Bastet would not have chosen you if she didn't think you could do it. We will do this together, you and me. I will be here for you every step of the way, no matter what."

He was honestly the sweetest person I had ever met. I don't know what I would do without him.

Alek leaned in and kissed me delicately on the lips, before pulling me into a comforting hug.

"Thank you, Alek," I whispered into his ear.

Maybe Alek was right. Maybe everything would turn out all right in the end. Maybe, just maybe, I could do it.


	16. Chapter 16: Epilogue

**Here is the last chapter! I know a few of you wanted me to continue, and I'm sorry for that, but I do have a new story coming soon. I hope you all liked my story :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

_10 years later…_

"Alek! Alek!" I yelled frantically, searching everywhere. "I can't find it and we're going to be late!"

He appeared causally in the doorway, leaning against the frame as he finished buttoning his shirt. "What can't you find, love?"

"My necklace! I can't find my necklace, the silver one my mom gave to me for my birthday last year. I'd feel awful if I lost it, and I wanted to wear it tonight. Have you seen it?"

"I took it," he said simply. He took it? Unbelievable. Even after all these years, he still annoyed me to no end sometimes.

"Why on earth did you take it?" I asked. He shrugged and suddenly seemed very interested in his shirtsleeves.

"Well you better have a damn good excuse by the time I've finished getting Jasmine ready," I told him, but he just smirked. Typical Alek.

I walked down the hall and entered the room to the left to wake Jasmine up from her nap.

"Hi Mommy!" she said, already awake, reaching her arms up towards me. Jasmine looked nothing like her namesake. She had beautiful blonde hair and warm brown eyes, exactly like her father.

"Hey baby girl," I said as I lifted her up. "Are you ready to get dressed so we can go see Aunt Amy and Uncle Paul?"

"Yes!" she squealed with delight.

It took me about ten minutes to get the wiggly two-year-old cleaned up and into her dress and shoes. When she was all ready I gave her a kiss on the forehead and said, "Come on, let's go find Daddy."

She took off through the house, yelling "Daddy where are you?" Alek was standing in the front hall, waiting to go. When he saw Jasmine his face lit up, and he picked her up and swung her around before giving her a kiss on the cheek and holding her on his hip.

"Hi sweetie. How was your nap?" he asked her.

"Daddy we are going to see Aunt Amy and Uncle Paul!" she replied eagerly.

He laughed. "I know," he said, "But thank you for reminding me."

"Ready to go?" I asked him. He nodded. I grabbed my purse, and we walked out to the car.

When we got to the church, my mom and Frank were there too, waving to us.

"Hey look, Jasmine," Alek said, lifting her out of her car seat. "There's Nana and Frank." Not needing any further encouragement, she took off down the path, arms outstretched.

"Jas, wait-" I started to say, but Alek cut me off.

"She'll be fine, Chloe. She's with your mom and Frank. Don't worry. Just come with me for a minute." Even though I had united the Mai almost seven years ago, and Jasmine hadn't been around then, I still worried sometimes.

Alek took my hand and led me around the side of the church to a beautiful garden. It was springtime and everything was luscious and in full bloom. There was a small wooden bench underneath a low tree in the middle of the garden. He sat down on the bench and pulled me down next to him, wrapping one arm around my waist.

"I'm sorry for taking your necklace earlier," he mumbled into my neck. "But I did have a good reason for it."

I ran my fingers through his hair. "Oh?" I mused.

"A very good one." He sat up and reached inside his suit pocket and pulled out a long, rectangular box and handed it to me. I opened it slowly, not knowing what to expect.

"Alek," I breathed. "It's stunning. Thank you." Inside the box was a necklace, more beautiful than anyone could imagine. The chain was a delicate silver, and so thin that it appeared to be nothing more than a thread. On it was a pendent that was a deep blue, bordered on either side by a sparkling diamond. The color of the pendant matched my dress exactly. It was perfect.

I turned to give Alek a hug, but instead he captured my lips with his, his hand on the small of my back pulling me closer. I pulled away after a minute, breathless. "Happy 5th anniversary," he whispered in my ear.

"You really are amazing," I told him. " But we do need to get going, or we'll miss Amy and Paul's wedding."

"No, we don't," he growled, a mischievous glint in his eye.

I laughed. "Yes, we really do. Come on."

I grabbed his hand and pulled him off the bench, and he followed reluctantly. We entered through the back door of the church, and took our seats beside my mom and Jasmine just in time.

* * *

><p><strong>So what did you think? Was it a good ending? Did it make sense? :P Review and let me know!<strong>


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys, so my new story is up, it's called "Chloe Who?" and make sure you check it out!**


End file.
